Monday, November 13, 2006

Friends and Centovini = A Great Visit, Food and Wine

Hello Foodies,Last night, we had dinner with Tour de Forks alum, Anita Lo. For those who don't know, Anita is chef/owner of Annisa Restaurant. In this photo, she is dressed like a chef but last night, we can confirm that she was in civilian attire. Annisa is a small fine dining establishment in the West Village. The restaurant is owned and operated by Anita Lo and her business partner, Jennifer Scism. Anita is a winner of Food & Wine Magazine's 2001 Best New Chef Award and Annisa was awarded by the 2006 Michelin Guide a coveted one star. Visit their website at www.annisarestaurant.com. We were lucky to get Anita on a rare night off from Annisa and we all met for dinner at CentoviniAnita is a friend of Patti Jackson, the chef at Centovini, and wanted to see Patty. Patti is an Alto veteran and devout Greenmarketer. We began our evening and reunion with Prosecco...we love bubbles! Nicola Marzovilla, one of Centovini's three owners (Murray Moss and Franklin Getchell from Moss Gallery are the other two), also spent time visiting with us. Besides talking, we were eating. To start, we nibbled on formaggi and salumi and olives. My favorite of the antipasti was the Burratina di Bufala - so creamy and served with tomatoes and agretti. My favorite pasta was the Maccheroncini alla Bolognese - a comforting match to a rainy night. And for our mains, we delighted in hangar steak, veal cheeks and lamb chops. Although we were too full to eat dessert, we managed to eat Dora's cookies and biscotti and homemade truffles and an Espresso Granita! Our meal was matched with a Basadone 04 Castello di Verduno from Piemonte region.

If you'd like to visit Centovini...25 West Houston Street between Mercer and Greene. 212-219-2113.